Vent liner

[Halftail]

I carry a 2 inch piece of an old Candle and use that to coat threads of removable parts by rubbing the candle the length of the threads.Works good for me.That said The last couple of times I cleaned my Lyman flintlock I just left the liner in and it done just the same kind of cleaning job.

 

[roundball]

Not a safe practice in my opinion. Others opinions will vary. :winking:

Mike, I'm genuinely asking this question so this is not taking issue with anyone who chooses to leave their vent liner in.

I've always removed, cleaned, lubed, and reinstalled the nipples on my caplocks as part of the cleaning regimen...I'm under the impression that basically everybody or at least the vast majority of people do that...and I don't see what the difference would be with a vent liner.

For example, TC's nipples and vent liners are both high quality stainless steel components with the same 1/4" x 28 thread design...both thread into identical threaded seats in the caplock snail or flint breechplug assemblies, etc.

 

[Mike Brooks]

I never removed the nipples from my cap guns either, for the same reason. Threads will wear with the taking in and out process. I'm just not comfortable with the removal of these parts for cleaning, never saw the need. If you see it differently, that's fine with me too. :thumbsup:
I was really glad when Chambers came out with his odd thread size on his white lightnin' liners. When I was still using standard 1/4" X 28's I found that a couple of my customers had removed my permanent liners and installed slotted or allen wrench type liners in the guns I had built from them, because"that's what they always used because they could take them out and clean them". I always worried who would be at fault legally if one of these constantly removed liners were to come out and hurt/kill somebody on the firing line, even tho I didn't instal it. I'm sure when one of my guns leaves the shop with one of my white lightnin' liners in it, it ain't going to come flying out and do damage to someone, and , it won't be replaced by a removeable on 'cause nobody makes one it that thread pitch.

 

[TN.Frank]

Wouldn't a vent liner have to blow the lock off of the gun in order to come out of the barrel? I mean, I don't know how your guns are set up but in my flintlocks at least half of the pan covers the vent liner so I don't see how it'd come out without having the lock come off.
I've never taken the one in my Austin n' Halleck out because I can remove the barrel and just stick the breech end down into a bucket of hot water for cleaning but on a pinned barrel gun you'd almost have to remove it in order to screw in the hose adapter to put into the water, unless you got one of those "C" clamp deals like Dixie sells, then you could leave the liner in place.
I may see if I can rig up something where I won't have to remove my liner in order to attach the hose to it but for now every so often I'll have to remove it in order to clean properly, at least to clean the way I like to clean.
I don't know, keep it in, remover it all the time, just take it out every now and again, I can't see where it'd make much difference in a quality firearm. Maybe in junk made with cheap metal it'll ware out and mess up but in good quality steel the threads should stand up to having a vent taken in and out for the life of the gun.

 

[Bob Gular]

What Mike said. Absolutely!!

 

[DrTimboone]

:nono: I agree with Mike. I won't go into what I learned about machine screws as a cash register mechanic in the last century......

But I have a Chambers White Lightning liner and the only way it can come out is with a dril.

Now, when I clean it I simply put a toothpick in the vent..pour water & ballistol down the barrel runa scraper on the breech face and a brush up and down the bore to get the big stuff loose. Turn it over and drain it. Rinse it and run a patch down to see what I get. Then I put a few inches of water in the bore. lay the gun on its side with the vent pointed down, pull the toothpick and push the ramrod with a jag and patch rapidly down the barrel to flush the liner. After that I runa dry patch or two and then squirt WD-40 in a nd ley it set while I do something else. Pour out the WD-$0 push a patch loaded with straight Ballistol down the muzzle, stand the gun in the corner and come back tomorroew to rn a couple more patches and wipe it up to hang on the fireplace. No rust/no problem....I do have one of those C clamp hoses...too much trouble.. I figure to take the lock apart every couple hundred shots..just to be sure its lubed..doesn't seem to get dirty. :blah: I don't plan to pull the barrel ever just to clean it. the bottom of the barrel is well taken careof..

Now here is my question for those of you who religiously pull your vents.....do you as religiously pull and clean your breach plug?? Why or why not??

 

[roundball]

Now here is my question for those of you who religiously pull your vents.....do you as religiously pull and clean your breach plug?? Why or why not??

I never pull my breechplugs.
:grin:

Reason is all my rifles have hooked breech barrels and they soak / get pump flushed clean in a pail of steaming hot soapy water after every use...they're still as clean as factory new...

 

[TN.Frank]

Now here is my question for those of you who religiously pull your vents.....do you as religiously pull and clean your breach plug?? Why or why not??

In a lot of modern inlines you do just that in order to clean the barrel.
Point is, in the old style guns the breech plug is somewhat of a "pipe thread" kind of deal where it's toqured into place and ment to stay in place. Vents and nipples, on the other hand, are generally made to be taken out, that's why they're a slot in the vent and a square edge on the nipple, so you can remove it.
As I've said, the key is to not over tighten either and to make sure that the threads are clean and have lube on em' before you put it back in. That takes care of ware so it's a non-issue.
If the vent is going to blow out it'll have to take the lock with it because the pan covers part of the vent.
:blah:

 

[Mike Brooks]

If the vent is going to blow out it'll have to take the lock with it because the pan covers part of the vent.

I've seen the results of this happening, The liner let go and took the lock right off the side of the gun. Shattered the lock area as the lock bolts were pulled thru the gun. The result of a massive over load od powder and in combination with a massive over indulgence of alchohol. Sort of a "watch this" sort of thing. :shake:
I've also watched a fellow pry his powder drum from his CVA rifle out of the support post of the firing line. He also removed his drom every time he cleaned his rifle.
Just some food for thought, I'll stick to non removable vent liners. :v

 

[TN.Frank]

If the vent is going to blow out it'll have to take the lock with it because the pan covers part of the vent.

I've seen the results of this happening, The liner let go and took the lock right off the side of the gun. Shattered the lock area as the lock bolts were pulled thru the gun. The result of a massive over load od powder and in combination with a massive over indulgence of alchohol. Sort of a "watch this" sort of thing. :shake:
I've also watched a fellow pry his powder drum from his CVA rifle out of the support post of the firing line. He also removed his drom every time he cleaned his rifle.
Just some food for thought, I'll stick to non removable vent liners. :v

OUCH, bet that hurt a bit. But it wasn't from ware, it was more from stupidity. I just know that something like that would have to happen for the vent to come out. It's not like it'll just take off all on it's own and fly across the shooting bench and kill someone. The entire gun would have to come apart for the vent to blow out.

 

[Mike Brooks]

OUCH, bet that hurt a bit.

Naw, drunks never get hurt..... :shake: The fellow in question did have a sloted vent liner that was removed for cleaning. I'm thinking there might have been some wear involved, otherwise the overload would have been vented out the vent hole and the liner should have stayed intact with a solid thread to thread contact..

 

[DrTimboone]

I never pull my breechplugs.
:grin:

Reason is all my rifles have hooked breech barrels and they soak / get pump flushed clean in a pail of steaming hot soapy water after every use...they're still as clean as factory new...

Well, don't the vent liners get flushed clean at the same time as the breechplug?? And both are threaded in and sealed with some tread compound. You clearly are right to do whatever you think is best.... I am just having a hard time understanding I am one of those guys who is always looking for better ideas from others...and I gotta understand before I can adopt or discard an idea....makes me a pain in the A** :blah:

 

[roundball]

A lot of people do things differently and that's OK...other examples;

I remove / clean / lube my locks after every use but everybody doesn't and it doesn't bother me if they don't.

I use NL1000 for lube but everybody doesn't and it doesn't bother me if they don't.

So I wasn't trying to get anybody to adopt anything about vent liners...I literally was just trying to understand the safety concern expressed because of doing to a vent liner what virtually everyone does to a nipple...they're the same item.

:v

 

[Mike Brooks]

I found the whole discussion interesting and civil,and nobody got their undies in a bunch. I even learned a thing or two. We all have different experiences with these guns which ends up forming differnt opinions on what works for us and what doesn't. It's all the same in the end. :grin:

 

[squirejohn]

Because of too much leakage of 3F powder through the vent (probably due to drilling out to 5/64 and "over use" of a vent pick over a 10 year period)I replaced the vent liner. During the process I ruined two "easy-outs" and finally resorted to drilling out the vent. Luckely I didn't damage the threads. This was a rather anxcious moment - particularly since I have the patience of a microbe and the temper of a tyranical two-year old :cursing: when doing projects of this sort. I replaced the liner okay and drilled it out to .067 - seems to work fine.